Loader bucket



H. ANDERSON, JR., ETAL v3,022,910

Feb. 27, 1962 LOADER BUCKET 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 4, 1960 furl. .lllxll I Illll..

INVENToRs HARVEY L.l\uDE2sou,J2. BZACUE 5. LowE c/WaM//m Qa/amn.

ATTO EN EYS Feb. 27, 1962 H. ANDERSON, JR., ET AL 3,022,910

LOADER BUCKET 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 4, 1960 mi w Two n W? AS T 1L; @WM 5 XE 12? 2. i M w e JMX [,MMWU a 2 Feb. 27, 1962 H. l..l ANDERSON, JR., ETAL 3,022,910

LOADER BUCKET Filed Nov. 4, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 'l FIG. 6 oc g-e-S INVENTORS Am/EY L Anoezsou, \2. BY ZAL-AGE. S. LOWE A-r To 2 u EVS Feb. 27, 1962 H. l.. ANDERSON, JR., ET AL 3,022,910

LOADER BUCKET Filed Nov. 4, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 w n INVENToRs T HARVEY L. ANDE2sou,Jz

Ai IOIZMEYS 3,022,910 IJADER BUCKET Harvey L. Anderson, Ir., 3308 N. Pershing Drive, Arlington, Va., and Zaclrie S. Lowe, 4617 Wilson Blvd., Arlington 3, Va.

Filed No?. 4, 1960, Ser. No. 67,254 8 Claims. (Cl. 214-140) This invention relates to earth handling implements, and in particular to a transfer bucket or shovel of the type mounted on a tractor or other vehicle and adapted for overhead swing and for dumping laterally and longitudinally of the vehicle.

In current practice, the bucket is adapted to dump longitudinally and to one side, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a system which is capable of dumping on both sides of the vehicle. A further object is to provide a system with such extended capability which is additionally characterized by a positiveness of action, ease and certainty of control, simplicity of structure, and simplicity yand economy of manufacture and maintenance. It is also an object to provide an improved dump unit which is readily adapted to existing structures of the prior art.

Brielly stated, the invention comprises a dump bucket which is swingably mounted on a double hinge system on a pair of spaced axes, about which it is selectively tilted, the axes being located in a cradle unit which is swingably mounted on a transverse axis.

For a more detailed description of the invention, reference is made to the following specification, as illustrated in the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a View, in perspective, of the novel dump bucket unit, as mounted on a conventional lift boom on a tractor,

FIGURE 2 is a schematic layout of the hydraulic thrust system with the cylinders in one dump position,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE l,

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, showing the dump pan in one position of adjustment, and also an alternative position as indicated in broken lines,

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3,

FIGURE 6 is an elevational view of the unit shown in FIGURE 3, as seen from the rear of that figure,

FIGURE 7 is a sectional View of a detail, taken on the line '7--7 of FIGURE 6,

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken along the staggered line 8 8 of FIGURE 4, and

FIGURE 9 is an exploded View, in perspective of the dump pan, the cradle, and a part ofthe dual hinge system.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, there is shown, in FIGURE l, in broken lines, a tractor 1li, on which is swingably mounted a lift boom which is a conventional structure, forms no part of the present invention, and therefore need be described in general terms only. The lift system comprises a pair of similar linkages at the two sides of the tractor, in the form of a modilied parallelogram with four pivot points l2 and i4 at the tractor, and ld and I8 at the dump pan cradle 20. The linkage has a fixed, front lever arm 22 articulated on pivots l2 and 16, and a two-part rear lever with sections 24, 26 with their remote ends mounted on pivots 14 and 18, respectively, and with their inner, adjacent ends pivoted at spaced positions 23, 38* on a cross link 32 mounted on a pivot 34' medially of front lever 22. Pivot 14 is located on the outer end of a short lever 3e anchored on a pivot 38 on the tractor. A hydraulic cylinder unit 40* operating on an offset pivot 42 in the lever 22 serves to swing the system in an arcuate path, and a cylinder unit 443 acting medially of the lever 36 communicates thrust to the twopart lever 24, 26, to control the attitude of the dump pan about the horizontal axis of pivots 16. Except for the dump pan cradle, the foregoing is conventional.

The upper pivots 16, 18 are carried by a pair of Straps ed with angularly disposed segments, one of which is secured to the underside of cradle 20, and the other of which supports a platform 48 mounting a hydraulic cylinder system presently to be described. g

As best seen in FIGURES 8 and 9, the dump pan 43 has a slant, front wall Sd and slant, side walls 52, 54 to facilitate dumping. Conforming with the slant, side walls of the pan, the cradle bed is formed with a series of wedgeshaped ribs 56, 58 at the respective ends, which also serve to anchor certain of the ends of the dump pan hinges. Thus, at their upper portions, ribs 5'6 have bores dil for the hinge pins which anchor the looped ends 62 of a pair of hinge straps 64 between the two outer pairsof ribs, the outer ends of straps ed having loops e6 secured by pins in two pairs of ears 63 carried by wall 52 of the dump pan. Straps 64 are bent into three straight, angularly disposed sections conforming to the underside and end walls of the lift pan. At the other end of the cradle, the two central ribs 58 are bored at 70 to receive the pin of a hinge loop 72 of a strap 74, similar to straps 64, having a loop '7e at its outer end pivoted between a pair of ears 78 in the other side wall S4 of the pan.

It will be seen from the foregoing that lateral tilting of the pan 48 may be accomplished either about the axis of bores 69 or the axis of bores 7d. ln the former case the swing is about the permanently anchored hinge loops 62 and loop 76 as temporarily vlodged between the two middle ribs 56, with the two straps ed moving with the pan and central strap 74 remaining in the cradle. For movement about the axis of bores 7G the converse situation obtains, strap 74 swinging with the pan, and the loops 66 of straps 64 remaining in the cradle.

Side swing of pan 48 is powered by a pair of hydraulic cylinders Sti, 82 with their piston rods 84, 86 mounted on a common pivot 8d carried by the rear wall 9d of pan 48, and the cylinders being pivoted on pins 92, 94, carried by the platform 48 on the rear of the cradle, and coaxial with the respective bores 7d, 6). An upright 96, with bracing webs 93, carried by platform 48, has a V notch ldd in its upper edge serving as a lower limit stop for the common pin 88 of the pistons. lt will be evident that lswinging movement of the pan in either lateral direction will be effected by activation of the appropriate cylinder.

The fluid-pressure system for the hydraulic cylinders (FIGURE 2) comprises a iluid reservoir lo?, with an outlet line led leading through a pump 1% to a selector valve ldd, from which la return line leads back to the reservoir. A pair of lines 112, 114 lead from opposite sides or" the selector valve to the respective chambers llo, il@ of a distribution housing 12d, and serve to pressurize one or the other of the chambers, depending upon the setting of the selector valve. From chamber 116, a line 122 communicates with the underside of the piston 124i in cylinder 80, and a line 126 communicates with the space above the piston 12S of'cylinder 82. Likewise, chamber 118 has a line 130 leading to the underside of piston 12S, yand a line 132 leading to the space above piston 124.

The uid pressure circuit at each cylinder is automatically interrupted, to isolate whichever cylinder happens to be inactive, by means of a pair of valves 134, i155 inserted across the respective lines. Thus, valve 13d has a pair of transverse bores with which the res ective lines 122, 132 communicate, and has a blind, Vaxial bore in which is slidably mounted a valve stem 1F38. The stem is biased outwardly of the Valve by a coil spring 14d, and has a pair of annular channels 142, 144, which permit the fluid in the line to pass through the valve when the Stern is in its inward position, to which position it is urged when cylinder S0, in lowering, contacts a roller M6 on the outer end of stem i258, Valve 136 is identical in structure and function with valve 136i.

When both cylinders are in the lowered position both valve stems are in the inner position the pressure lines are open to each cylinder, but in opposite senses. Assuming the selector valve so arranged that chamber 11S of the distribution unit is pressurized, the pressure, when generated, will be applied through valve 136 and line 130 to the underside of piston 12S, with relief through the return line 126 above the piston and back to chamber 116 of the distribution unit. This causes the other cylinder 80 to swing upward, releasing stem 13d to the spring pressure, closing the valve and isolating cylinder Sil from the iluid pressure. However, in the initial stage of swing, valve 134 remains open for a brief interval, permitting pressure on the top of piston liZd and thus ensuring the swing of common pin 88 on a Xed radius, Valve 136, of course, remains open during the entire operation. Reversal of the selector valve will reverse the direction of pressure on piston 126 and result in lowering of cylinder Sti. This position of the selector valve also is effective to extend piston 124 and swing cylinder 82 upward, tilting dump pan d8 in the other direction While a preferred embodiment has been shown and described for illustrative purposes, modications will be apparent to those skilled in the `art in the light of this disclosure, and the invention should not, therefore, be deemed as limited except as shall appear from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An earth handling device of the type tiltably mounted on a swinging boom, comprising a cradle with a hat, central portion and upwardly and outwardly sloping end ramps formed by spaced parallel, wedge-shaped uprights, each ramp having a series of aligned bores near its uppermost portion, a durnp pan having a bottom and front `and rear walls, and sloping side walls adapted to mate with the ramps of said cradle, a series of hinge straps each having three angularly disposed sections mating with the sides and botto-m of said pan, one end of each of said straps pivoted, alternately, on. opposite side walls of said pan, and with its other end pivoted in the bores in the uprights remote from the side of the pan to which lthe said one end is pivoted, and means to selectively tilt the pan about the axis of either of said series of bores comprising a pair of extendable thrust units pivoted at one end on a common axis medially of the pan, and above the plane of the axes of said bores, and with their other ends pivoted on the cradle co-axially with the respective said series of bores.

2. An earth handling device of the type tiltably mounted on fa swinging boom, comprising a cradle with a flat, central portion and upwardly and outwardly sloping end ramps formed by spaced, parallel, wedge-shaped uprights, each ramp having a series of aligned bores near its uppermost portion, `a dump pan having a bottom, and front and rear walls, and sloping side walls adapted to mate with the ramps of said cradle, a series of hinge straps each having three angularly disposed sections mat ing with the sides and bottom of said pan, one end of each of said straps pivoted, alternately, on opposite side walls of said pan, and with its other end pivoted in the bores in the uprights remote `from the side of the pan to which the said one end is pivoted, and means to selectively tilt the pan about the axis of either of lsaid series of bores comprising a pair of angularly disposed thrust units operating between the respective taxis of said bores and a common pivot axis on said pan.

3. An earth handling device or the type tiltably mounted on a swinging boom, comprising a cradle with a tlat, central portion and upwardly and outwardly sloping end ramps formed by spaced, parallel, wedge-shaped uprights, each ramp having a series of aligned bores near its uppermost portion, a dump pan having a bottom, and front and rear walls, and sloping side walls adapted to mate with the ramps of said cradle, a series of hinge straps each having three angularly disposed sections mating with the sides and bottom of said pan, one end of each of said straps pivoted, alternately, on opposite side walls or" said pan, and with its other end pivoted in the bores in the uprights remote from the Side of the pan to which the said one end is pivoted, and means to selectively tilt the pan about the axis of either of said series of bores comprising a pair of angularly disposed thrust units with their apex on a common pivot on the pan and their other ends pivoted on said cradle.

4. An earth handling device of the type tiltably mounted on =a swinging boom, comprising a cradle with spaced uprights at each end having a series of aligned bores, an open top dump pan, a series of hinge straps underlying said pan in side-by-side relation, one end of each of said straps pivoted, alternately, at opposite sides of said pan, and with its other end pivoted in the bores in the uprights remote from the side of the pan to which the said one 'end is pivoted, and means to selectively tilt the pan Iabout the axis of either of said series of bores comprising a pair of thrust units each pivoted at one end to said pan and at theV other end to said cradle co-axially with the respective series of bores. 5. An earth handling device of the type tiltably mounted on a swinging boom, comprising a cradle with spaced anchor means at each end, each having a series of aligned bores, an open top dump pan, a series of hinge straps underlying said pan in side-by-side relation, one end of each of said straps pivoted, alternately, at opposite sides of said pan, and with its other end pivoted in the bores in the anchor means remote from the side of the pan to which the said one end is pivoted, and means to selectively tilt the pan about the axis of either of said series of bores.

6. A device as in claim l, said thrust units comprising hydraulic cylinders, and control means for said cylinders including means to reverse the pressure in either of said cylinders during action of the other of said cylinders.

7. An earth handling device of the type tiltably mounted on a swinging boom, comprising a cradle, a series of hinge straps pivoted, alternately, at one end, on a pair of axes located at opposite sid-es of said cradle, in side-by-side relation, and extending across said cradle, and a pan nestable on said cradle in normal position of rest, the outer ends of said pivoted straps being hinged, alternately, at opposite sides of said pan, whereby said pan is selectively tiltable about either of the two axes of pivoting in said cradle.

8. An earth handling device ofthe type tiltably mounted on a swinging boom, comprising a cradle with a dat, central portion and upwardly and outwardly sloping end ramps formed by spaced, parallel, wedge-shaped uprights, each ramp having a ser-ies of aligned bores near its uppermost portion, a dum-p pan having 4a bottom, and front and rear walls, and sloping side walls adapted to mate with the ramps of said cradle, and a series of hinge straps each having three angularly disposed seetions mating with the sides and bottom of said pan, one end of each of said straps pivoted, alternately, on opposite side walls of said pan, and with its other end pivoted in the bores in the uprights remote from the side of the pan to which the said one end is pivoted, whereby said pan may be tilted, selectively, about either axis of the bores in said ramp uprights, carrying with it, some of the hinge straps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

